Babysitting
by YoungTakinom
Summary: She had been kick out of daycare. She had pushed Najarin over his limit. Yes, even the High Muge of the Overworld could not handle that one little girl. But yet Drabe had been chosen to look after her for the next ten to fourteen days. How hard could it be to take care of one little girl? Harder than you think.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one:

Drabe had faced many difficult battles, but nothing could prepare him for this. Intress had been the first to assign this job to him, or rather, to ask it of him. Technically this was not a mission at all, but Drabe didn't doubt it would have its share of dangers. At first Drabe had simply said 'No', knowing even Intress didn't have enough authority to make him accept her challenge. She had been on the verge of crying, but it could not be helped, it was simply more than the experienced warrior could handle.

Even Najerin, with all his wisdom and years on the battlefield, had told Intress it was more than he could take. If the High Muge of the Overworld could not control the natural disaster, what made Intress think he could do any better? If everything Drabe had heard was true, then it was a wonder Intress had not lost her mind, and if even Najerin couldn't deal with this, than apparently everything Drabe had heard was true.

Three days went by, allowing the thought to slowly ease its way out of Drabe's mind before Maxxor called for him. On the way to the throne room, it crossed Drabe's mind that perhaps Maxxor was going to assign him to that suicide mission. Drabe shook the idea out of his head and laugh it himself for thinking it. Why would Maxxor assign him to that?

But apparently fate had a sick sense of humor.

"Drabe," Maxxor said nervously as he looked at him from his throne "Intress has to go on a very important mission."

"And you wish for me to escort her?" Drabe asked as hopefully as he could. He hoped with every fiber in his body that Maxxor was sending him on a dangerous, life threatening mission. His legs were getting weak, his heart was racing, and his fur was getting sticky from the sweat as he struggled to push the other possibility out of his mind. "You want me to protect her?"

Maxxor shook his head and gave the older warrior a look of apology "Intress has chosen you to look after Aivenna while she's gone."

The rest of what Maxxor said went in one ear and out the other. What sort of horror could a mere child create? First she had been kicked out of day care, then, mere weeks afterward, guards had heard Najerin tell Intress that he could not handle that child. A little kid, the creature equivalent of four years old, had defeated Najerin in some way. But yet Intress had chosen Drabe to babysit for the next ten to fourteen days. What had he done to deserve this punishment?


	2. Chapter 2

Intress had hoped that leaving at sunrise would assure her that Aivenna would still be asleep when she left, but after awaking to the sound of Aivenna singing and Intress catching her sitting on her make-up counter, she realized Aivenna must have caught onto what was happening. Intress had slept in her clothes and packed her bag the night before, once she was sure Aivenna was asleep, but it seemed Aivenna had once again been acting.

"Mommy, don't go!" Aivenna cried, clinging to Intress's leg, Drabe and Intress having trouble pulling her off. Tears were streaming down her beautiful, pink face which was now covered in Intress's make-up.

"I'll be back soon." Intress promised while Drabe held Aivenna tightly, struggling to not drop her as she squirmed and screamed. Intress ran, yelling "Drabe is going to play with you until I come back!"

Aivenna, seeing that her mother was leaving, bit Drabe on the arm, causing him to drop her. She ran after Intress screaming "Take me with you! Mommy, take me with you!" Drabe grabbed her pick her back up, walking into the house with her "I won't play with your makeup again, I promiss! Mommy, don't go!"

Once he got her in, Drabe locked the door and placed her on the living room floor. After several failed attempts at escaping, Aivenna threw a temper tantrum in the living room and seemingly cried herself to sleep. Drabe laid her on the couch and walked into the kitchen where he saw a notebook, right on the end of the counter where he could still see in the living room in case she tried to escape again.

The book was filled with tips on how to make things easier on both of them, such as that Aivenna didn't like too many bubbles in her bath because apparently they scared her, or that she was afraid of the dark, so Drabe would need to let the candle burn a little longer in case she woke up. It also had a list of things that she had gotten into trouble for, such as attacking other children at the caregiver, mainly the older ones.

_That's odd_, Drabe thought, _normally violent children like to target the weaker ones_.

While Drabe was flipping through pages, scanning over them for anything he could use at the moment, Aivenna sat up and looked around. Not seeing Drabe anywhere, she stood up and looked over the back of the couch, into the kitchen. She quickly noticed that Drabe wasn't paying much attention to what he was reading and that he was quickly coming to the end of it.

_He must not like the pictures._ Aivenna thought as she laid back down, certain that he would be checking on her to make sure she was still asleep. Just as she suspected, Drabe glanced over the back off the couch to make sure she was still asleep before heading upstairs to find her room and the bathroom. Aivenna sat back up and watched him as he went up the first few stairs. Drabe began to sense that he was being watched and paused for a moment, only for Aivenna to lay back down just as he turned to look at her.

_She's just a little girl._ Drabe reminded himself as his heart was starting to pound _You're letting all those stories get to you again. What's the worse that she can do? So she didn't get along well with some of the kids at the caregiver. That's not necessarily a sign that she's bad. She just got into a few fights. Misunderstandings_. Drabe started settling down again and continued up the stairs _Najarin probably just took his eye off her for a moment and she get into something dangerous. Anyone, most specially a child, would surely be curious about some of the things in the home of the High Muge of the Overworld._

Once she was sure he was no longer looking, Aivenna rushed into the kitchen, knowing she couldn't reach the lock on her own. She grabbed a chair and brought it into the living room, being very careful not to make a sound. Once the door was open, she ran to find her mother, knowing only that she had been heading toward the gates. She would put the chair back later.

Once Drabe had carefully inspected Aivenna's room and found nothing more dangerous than a necklace with the crests of both the Overworld and Underworld on it, Drabe went down stairs to check on Aivenna again only to find the chair sitting in front of the open door. He began to panic, screaming her name as he rushed outside and looked around frantically. Unfortunately for him, Aivenna had heard him yell and hid behind one of the houses and further hid behind a trash can. She didn't move until she saw him rush by, or more specifically, saw his shadow appear and disappear beside her.

_That was close._ she thought _Now where would my mother go to without me?_

Then she remembered that Maxxor was the one her mother worked for, and headed toward his palace to have a talk with him.


	3. Chapter 3

Aivenna knew the guards wouldn't let her in, so she tried to think of a plan from behind the corner. It wasn't long before someone walked by. Aivenna saw this as an opportunity and let out a soft whine, hoping to get the man's attention. He turned his head to look at her.

He wore a long coat, torn and sewed back up in various places. His brown shoes were dirty, and his long, pointy ears were coming through cuts in his grey hat. The left eye was a bright red, while the right one was a dark green. His fur was a beautiful brown, with red and blond hues dancing as the sunlight hit his fur from various angles.

"What are you doing all alone here, little one?" he asked, not knowing who she was, but knowing she was practically a baby. Aivenna sat down and looked up at him as though begging for something. "Where are your parents?" the man asked. Aivenna looked around the corner at the guards. The man looked to see what she was looking at and asked "Is one of those guards your father?"

Aivenna just looked back at the man, not saying a word. She felt bad for lying to him, even though she really hadn't given him a yes, but she had to find her mom.

"Let's go talk to him then." The man said calmly as he attempted to pick her up, but she pushed his hands away and told him "No." with a mean look on her face.

He seemed to get upset by her reaction. He stormed over to the guards and yelled "What are you thinking? You can't just leave your kid over there!"

The guards looked at him, then at each other. "What are you talking about?" one guard asked.

The stranger just pointed to the corner Aivenna had been hiding behind and told them "That little girl thinks one of you is her father." The guards both seemed surprised "She has no one with her. I don't know where her mother is, or where she's at. All I know is, one of you is responsible for her."

"I don't have kids." The first guard told him as he walked to the corner hoping the little one was alright.

"My mate took ours to the caregiver an hour ago." the other said as he followed his partner

When they looked behind the corner, Aivenna was already gone. When the stranger had walked off, she had immediately ran and hid behind another house, once again near the trash cans. "What is this, a joke?" the first guard asked, clearly upset.

"No," the stranger said, putting his hands up defensively "I swear there was a little girl right here." Just as he finished the sentence, Aivenna put the second part of her new plan into action; getting the guards away from the castle just long enough for her to get inside. She pushed a trash can over, yelling "No!" The three rushed behind the house, thinking a helpless little girl was in trouble.

Unfortunately a young woman was in the house at the time and rushed to the backdoor to find out what was going on. She opened up the back door and looked around. The guards saw her closing the door and assumed the little girl had been forced inside. The first one grabbed the door handle and demanded to know "Where is she?!"

"I don't know." the female said "I opened the door to look around but I didn't see anyone."

"I'm afraid we're going to have to search your house." he responded, clearly upset about what was going on

"But I swear she's not here." the woman argued

"Then you should have nothing to hide." the stranger said as he too entered her home.

"Hey," she said "you're not a guard. You can't come in here."

"We'll check outside." the other guard said, grabbing the stranger by the shoulder of his coat and dragging him out of the house

While that was going on, Aivenna ran to the doors of the palace, having no difficulty with the stairs now that the guards were out of her way. She jumped a few times, trying to reach the handle. She finally got it, but slipped when it turned. It only took one more jump for her to open the door. She let go and fell to the ground, not making a sound when she landed on her bottom. She closed the door and ran, hoping she would find Maxxor before one of the guards found her.


	4. Chapter 4

Aivenna calmly walked down the halls, confident and innocently, as though she had been she there many times. In truth, Aivenna had only been there a few times, and the last time she had come, Maxxor's father told Intress to never bring her back. That was when Maxxor decided he was going to try babysitting.

Hearing guards coming towards her, Aivenna ran down a different hallway. Once she was around the corner, Avienna watched as the guards passed by. When they were gone, she ran back to where she was at and continued her mission. She carefully climbed countless stairs and wondered down many halls before she found the throneroom. Seeing the guards, she knew she could not get in, but she also knew Maxxor was in there, sitting on his new throne.

_I'll just wait until he comes out._ Aivenna thought as she sat down.

However, such a young child cannot wait long before growing bored. Sighing, Aivenna got up and walked to the guards, knowing they would have questions to ask. Seeing the little girl, they both instantly began to watch her, curious as to why someone so you would be allowed to wonder around the castle. She reached for the door handle, but one of the guards picked her up.

"What are you doing here, little one?" he said

"Maxxor!" she screamed, not wanting to be bothered by some guard "Unkle Maxxor!"

The young Ruler of the Overworld growled as he rose from his throne. He had known the child would be difficult for Drabe, but bringing her to him for reprimanding was unacceptable.

_Should I be gentle or stern?_ he wondered as he walked toward the doors, not wanting his anger to take control of him if it were not for the good of the Tribe. But when he opened the doors, Drabe was not there. Glaring at the child in disbelief, Maxxor angrily asked her "Where is your caregiver?"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Chaotic

Drabe laid on his stomach with the pillow over his head, trying to block out Aivenna's screaming as tears flowed down his face. Maxxor had promised to check on them once he was done with work, but Drabe didn't know how much more he could take. Aivenna's behaviour was uncalled for, but no one knew how to handle her.

When Drabe got her home, he was sure a timeout and a spanking was all she needed. After spanking the little one, he locked her in her room, sure that she could not get out. But she was smarter than a normal child, and she tied a few sheets together and made a long rope out of them. She then tied one end of it to her bed and threw the rest out the window. Her plan would have worked had someone not passed by while she was escaping.

Drabe gave up after that.

Suddenly it was quiet; too quiet. Drabe sat up and listened for any sign as to what she was getting into. He feared that she was trying to escape again. He looked around for her, finally making his way into her room only to find that she had once again escaped through the window. Looking down at the rope, he knew she was going to be a pain to find.

Unsure of what else to do, he went to Maxxor. The young ruler immediately sent guards out to find her. They followed every clue they could get, knowing such a child shouldn't have been so heard to find. Once she was found, Maxxor wrote down what she had done so that Intress could punish her when she got home.

After Aivenna escaped from her home, she waited for Drabe to leave so that she could hide while planning her next move. Once he was gone, she found an open window in some else's house. After knocking over their trash can she climbed into the strangers's home and discovered she was in the kitchen. "Hey neighbours!" she called out "Can I have some water?!"

The lady who lived there almost paniced at an unknown child being in her house. Getting Aivenna a glass of water, she tried to stay calm as she interrogated Aivenna "Where is your mother?"

"I have no clue." Aivenna told her

"Do you live around here?" Aivenna nodded at the question. The lady knew something was not adding up. A child so young should not have been left alone, but Aivenna seemed so calm, as though it were a normal thing for her. "What is your name?" the lady asked. Upon hearing it she took Aivenna by the hand and lead her to the door. "Out!" she shouted as she slammed her front door.

Aivenna stood there for a minute, trying to remember what she did wrong. Unable to think of anything, she walked off. She had no clue what to do now, besides keep looking for Intress. She knocked on a few doors to ask if anyone had seen Intress, but no one knew where she was. Aivenna eventually realised that she had no one watching over her, and could therefore do as she pleased. After almost three hours of wondering around, she tried to visit her uncle Maxxor again. One of the guards in front of the castle took her to him.

She hadn't been expecting him to spank her and send her back home with Drabe. The warrior-caregiver sighed as he put her on the floor and laid down on the couch. She could tell by the look on his face that something was wrong.

"Drabe." she said so calmly that he bolted up, expecting her to have a knife in hand. Instead she was just standing there as though she had not been screaming two seconds ago. "Why are you sad?"

That was all he could take. He had held his tongue with her all day, hoping he could just keep quiet until she settled down, but that pushed him over his limit. As the words came out of his mouth, Aivenna was truly sorry.

"Because there's something wrong with you!" he screamed before thinking about what he was saying. He did believe that she needed therapy, perhaps even medication, but he had not intended to say it in such a way. Aivenna started crying again, but this time Drabe felt bad. "Aivenna, please don't start this again."

She tried to hold back her tears, but it was no use. Seeing how she was struggling, Drabe picked her up and carried her to a rocking chair. Humming gently as he rocked her, he learned how to get her to sleep. He then remembered that she had not had a nap all day.

_Perhaps after a good night's rest she'll be in a better mood._ Drabe thought, hoping he was right.

After putting her to bed, Drabe started to go to his room, but he them remembered that Aivenna was afraid of the dark, and he could not leave her alone until he was sure she was sleeping. After the incidents earlier that day, Drabe was not willing to take the risk of her running off again.

Looking out the window, he saw that the sun was setting. He watched until it was almost completely dark before starting to walk out of the room. Hoping she was truly asleep, he was looking forward to getting some rest after such a difficult day. On his way out though, something made him stop. He wasn't sure what it was, but as he glaced at the sleeping child, something reminded him that she was only a toddler. Perhaps it was seeing her turn over and wrapped her arms around a stuffed bunny that made that all the more believable.

For some reason he grinned as he thought of all the effort she put into finding her mother. That was all the reason she had for what she did. She had not been trying to cause trouble, or even to just get attention. She was just a little girl who loved her mother. She had been kicked out of daycare, pushed private nannies to the point of quitting, and even cause Najirin to lose his patience. No one else had been able to handle her. No one else was willing to watch her. How many of these role models had made her feel unwanted? Every time they did, it only strengthened her love for her mother. Maybe, just maybe, she was afraid Intress would leave one day and never come back.

Drabe had to brake the cycle. Even if it killed him, he was going to make sure that child knew that someone other than Intress would be there for her, because if one day Intress left and never came back, where would Aivenna go? And on top of all that, Aivenna would only blame herself for her mother not returning. She would live her entire life thinking Intress did not come back because she simply didn't want her anymore.

Drabe could not let that happen.


End file.
